So my wife and I will be having our first child at the end of the year, and I’m trying to devise a strategy for things like putting money away for the little person now, while I have the time and sleep in me to think about such things.

What are some good strategies to use to save money to give to a kid? College is obviously a big thing, but not necessarily the only thing I want to save for. My goal would be to have a respectable college fund to pay for a state college in 2029 and some money for general purposes. (Hopefully a car, trip or downpayment on a home and not beer)

Any ideas? I’m not opposed to 529 plans, but I don’t necessarily want to tie all money up in one either. I’m also not concerned about colleges looking at assets in the child’s name for financial aid purposes. (We’re talking about 2029 or 2030 anyway, so it’s unlikely that advice about that today would be valid that far out)

Saving for school is [fundamentally] no different than saving for any other major purchase: in addition to some of the great answers already provided, here are a couple other thoughts:

if either you or your spouse will be the right age in 2029, drawing from an IRA may be possible fee-free (ie if you’re over 59&half; in 2029)

find some mutual funds you like the looks of (no- or low-fee ones abound with reasonable historic and projected returns)

Fidelity, as one example, offers “target” mutual funds, where the target date is the expected retirement year; if you pick a 2030 account, for example, it will be gradually shifted into more stable investments as it ages, becoming less and less risky as your target year approaches

if you’re familiar with one or more industries, invest in some companies you understand

keep some in a liquid account such as a traditional savings or money market account

save frequently – putting $20 a week into an account is a LOT easier than $1040 at the end of the year!

One final thought – I would personally avoid the 529 plans because if your child decides to not go to school (eg goes in the Coast Guard, decides to be a farmer, enters the Peace Corps, etc), you’re penalized on withdrawal, whereas with any other savings/investment methodology, you won’t have those penalties.

I’d just like to chime in with one more option: treasury I-series bonds. They’re linked to an inflation component, so they won’t lose value (in theory). You can file tax returns for your children “paying” taxes (usually 0) on the interest while they’re minors, so they appreciate tax-free until they’re 18. Some of my relatives have given my children money, and I’ve invested it this way.

Alternatively, you can buy the I-bonds in your own name. Then if you cash them out for your kids’ education, the interest is tax-free; but if you cash them out for your own use, you do have to pay taxes on the interest.

I’d recommend putting your old-age fund first before shelling out a lot of money for college.

I’d recommend not shelling out a lot of money for college. Ideally, none. There are ways today to get a four-year degree for $15,000. Not $15,000 per year. $15,000 total. Check here. (This isn’t an affiliate link.) They can pay for this themselves!

I’d recommend making sure you hold the hammer. Don’t let them party on your nickel.

529 plans are probably the best bet for most people wanting to save for their kids college education. You can put a lot of money away ~$300k and you may get a state tax deduction. The downside is if you’re kid doesn’t go to college you may end up eating the 10% penalty.

State specific prepaid tuition plans. The upside is you know roughly the return you are going to get on your money. The downside is your kid has to go to a state school in the state you prepaid or there are likely withdrawal penalties. For the most part these really aren’t that great of a deal any more.

ESAs are also an option but they only allow you to contribute $2k/year, but you have more investment options than with the 529 plans.

Traditional and ROTH IRA accounts can also be used to pay for higher education. I wouldn’t recommend this route in general but if you maxed out your 401k and weren’t using your IRA contribution limits you could put extra money here and get more or really different flexibility than you can with a 529 account. I doubt IRA’s will ever be asked for on a FAFSA which might be helpful.

Another option is to save the money in a regular brokerage account. You would have more flexibility, but lower returns after taxes. One advantage to this route is if you think your kid might be borderline for financial aid a year or two before he starts college you could move this money into another investment that doesn’t matter for financial aid purposes.

A few words of caution, make sure you save for retirement before saving for your kids college. He can always get loans to pay for school but no one is going to give you a loan to pay for your retirement. Also be cautious with the amount of money you give your adult child, studies have shown that the more money that parents give their adult children the less successful they are compared to their peers.